


Helping Hands

by haruka



Category: Jia You! Wang Qiu Wang Zi | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M, Prince of Tennis Chinese drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-20
Updated: 2010-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-09 22:32:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/92301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haruka/pseuds/haruka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was inspired by events in episode 21 season 1 of the Chinese live-action Prince of Tennis drama.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Helping Hands

Helping Hands (Chinese Prince of Tennis drama)

By Haruka (haruka@ymail.com)

\--

Zhou Zhu felt a happy weariness as he went to the locker room. There were a few minutes before the next tennis match, which would be between the captains of both teams. He didn't want to miss a moment of it, but needed to wash his face and hands quickly before returning to his teammates.

He had just finished rinsing off when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Zhou Zhu, I found you! It's just us now, so you can tell me all your secrets!"

Zhou Zhu's heart crawled back down from his throat. There was no need to be frightened – this was Jie Chuan, the guy he just finished beating in their own match. Jie Chuan had been so enthusiastic about everything that Zhou Zhu had done during the game that it hadn`t mattered to him at all that Zhou Zhu won every point. All Jie Chuan cared about was that Zhou Zhu was pulling off some fancy, beautiful, and very effective moves. In the end, his teammates had to carry him off the court and away from Zhou Zhu because he wouldn't stop begging him to teach him everything he knew. Now it seemed he'd gone away from them and found him again.

Zhou Zhu tried to wriggle free of Jie Chuan's grip, but found it surprisingly strong. He hadn't said anything to his opponent during their entire match except to give a name to his counterserve, and really didn't want to talk to him now, neither. Jie Chuan had been amusing on the court, but now his intense grip was becoming a little unnerving. "Please let go of me," he finally said.

The other man gasped and in the mirror, Zhou Zhu saw his face light up. "You finally spoke to me! Now that we're on speaking terms, you can teach me everything you know about tennis! How to do all those amazing tricks and look so cool and confident doing it! We can go to my house right now!"

"The tournament's not over and I want to watch my friends play!" Zhou Zhu insisted, struggling some more. "Let me go right now!"

"Not until you agree to come over when the last matches end!" Jie Chuan bargained gleefully, hugging him even tighter. "It'll be so great! You'll see, I`ll learn fast –!"

All at once, Zhou Zhu felt the squeezing arms release him. He spun around to see Jie Chuan being held in a half-Nelson by the usually-gentle Xiao Long. His teammate looked angrier than Zhou Zhu had ever seen him without a tennis racquet in his hand.

"You say you learn fast, but still you wouldn't let him go when he asked you. Now I think you'd better return to your team before you have to go to the hospital with a broken arm instead!" He shoved him toward the door, and Jie Chuan wavered there, gazing back at Zhou Zhu pleadingly.

"I didn't mean any harm, okay? Come over to our school anytime and look me up! I really want to be your student!" He hurried off and Xiao Long`s expression became softer as he looked toward Zhou Zhu.

"Did he hurt you? If he did, I really will break his arm –"

Zhou Zhu shook his head and smiled reassuringly. "I don't think he really meant to hurt or scare me. He doesn't seem to realize WHAT he's doing when he gets so enthusiastic."

Xiao Long looked relieved, then a little embarrassed. "When I came in and saw him holding you like that, I saw red. No one should put their hands on you without your consent."

At the mention of the word `hands,` Zhou Zhu remembered the injury that Xiao Long had sustained during his own match. He had battled his opponent until his palm was raw and bloody, and both players were unable to continue the match. In tribute, Zhou Zhu had used his friend's bloody racquet to play his own match.

Now Zhou Zhu looked down at the bandaged hand and took it gently in both of his. "With your hand in so much pain, you still grabbed him forcibly to get him off of me."

Xiao Long smiled shyly, but met his eyes with sincerity. "I'd hold an open flame in my bare hands to protect you, Zhou Zhu ."

Touched beyond words, Zhou Zhu held Xiao Long`s injured hand to his cheek. Xiao Long raised his good hand to Zhou Zhu`s other cheek and stroked it tenderly. Slowly, they drew into a kiss.

Over the loudspeaker, they announced the next match. The pair looked up at the sound, then back to each other.

"We`d better go," Zhou Zhu said. "Guo Guang will need our support. Ji Bu will not go easy on him."

"He wouldn`t want him to," Xiao Long said, offering Zhou Zhu his good hand. The other man accepted it in his, and they headed back into the arena together.

\--

(2010)

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

This fic is not to be re-posted.


End file.
